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Environment & Energy

IDemo

(16,926 posts) Fri Apr 20, 2012, 08:06 AM Apr 2012

Big 'Green'? IBM works on 500 miles-per-charge battery [View all]

An electric car that can go from Boston to Detroit on a single charge could hit showroom floors sometime in the next decade, if all continues to go smoothly for IBM.

Yes, IBM. The company, best known these days for its trivia-champ computer Watson, is making a risky bet on the development of lithium-air battery technology in a bid to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles.

"Certainly, if it is successful, we stand to make some money," Winfried Wilcke, the principal investigator of IBM’s Battery 500 Project, told me on Thursday. What’s more, he added, such a battery could expedite the transition away from reliance on oil. "That was really the trigger for me to start this project."

Several electric vehicles are on the road today, but most of them have a range of 150 miles or less. The fear of running out of juice while driving around – known as range anxiety – is considered a major barrier to adoption of the technology.

http://www.futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/technology/futureoftech/big-green-ibm-works-500-miles-charge-battery-725115

33 replies

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Big 'Green'? IBM works on 500 miles-per-charge battery [View all] IDemo Apr 2012 OP

Go IBM! (more) longship Apr 2012 #1

Electric cars are BS KurtNYC Apr 2012 #2

ROFLMAO kristopher Apr 2012 #3

Unlimited amounts of lithium charged with 33% efficient coal fired grid power, KurtNYC Apr 2012 #16

I've never seen any serious proposals to move 18-wheelers with batteries NickB79 Apr 2012 #32

Only if you're using the Republican dictionary to define "efficient" and "green". DCKit Apr 2012 #4

Republican dictionary ? You're the one blindly and poorly defending an IBM press release. KurtNYC Apr 2012 #17

$0.04/mile running costs not low enough? Not efficient? Not green? DCKit Apr 2012 #20

Generally where electric rates are higher then so are gas prices txlibdem Apr 2012 #26

PS, in Albany, New York gas is over $4 a gallon. txlibdem Apr 2012 #27

Preaching to the choir. I just can't afford the premium for an electric. DCKit Apr 2012 #29

The Leaf goes 100 miles txlibdem Apr 2012 #30

less efficient? caraher Apr 2012 #6

Let's start with charging the batteries KurtNYC Apr 2012 #15

The difference in efficiencies between the electric motor (90%) and ICE (25-30%) is what counts IDemo Apr 2012 #18

How much of electricity do you think is coal generated? dmallind Apr 2012 #21

Electric engines are about 90% efficient. Combustion barely breaks 30%. joshcryer Apr 2012 #25

Unh Hunh And Internal-Combustion Is So Environmentally-Friendly Vogon_Glory Apr 2012 #8

i/c engines usrname Apr 2012 #9

It's about decoupling the energy generation from the energy storage jeff47 Apr 2012 #10

My electric car costs less than $30/month to run. tinrobot Apr 2012 #22

Looks like the IBM PR department is earning their salaries. n/t PoliticAverse Apr 2012 #5

Great. Hope it doesn't take 10 years for it to happen n2doc Apr 2012 #7

Their forcast is for 2020-2030. jeff47 Apr 2012 #11

No they aren't. n2doc Apr 2012 #12

The Leaf is a 4-door family car. You can't pretend it's "comparable" to tiny 2-door. jeff47 Apr 2012 #13

You may think so n2doc Apr 2012 #14

They won't, because of how they're marketed jeff47 Apr 2012 #19

Compare cost of ownership, not purchase price. tinrobot Apr 2012 #23

And there you go for those of us living in the real world. DCKit Apr 2012 #24

Oh, and insurance is less for the Leaf tinrobot Apr 2012 #33

+1 txlibdem Apr 2012 #31

As an aside... Dead_Parrot Apr 2012 #28